Sports
Jackets, Wings ready to bring state rivalry to Ohio Stadium
The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers play during the fourth quarter of a NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The second-largest crowd in NHL history is expected Saturday night when the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry moves to the ice for an NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the host Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium.
More than 90,000 fans are projected for the contest that features two teams in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The NHL attendance record is 105,491 for the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium that featured a 3-2 shootout victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Red Wings.
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is considered one of the most bitter in college football and has produced the eventual national champion each of the last two seasons. The most recent matchup on Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium, which was won 13-10 by the Wolverines, featured a postgame brawl when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. Police had to deploy pepper spray in an attempt to stop the melee.
So expect there to be a high-charged atmosphere for Saturday’s contest.
“These are hallowed grounds in Columbus, so to be out here and playing hockey is going to be neat,” Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly, who grew up in the Columbus suburb of Dublin attending Buckeyes football games at “The Shoe,” told NHL.com after surveying the rink layout earlier this week.
It will be the second half of a home-and-home between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings. Columbus, behind two goals by James van Riemsdyk and a goal by Kuraly, won the first one 5-2 on Thursday in Detroit.
The game has significant ramifications for the Eastern Conference playoff race. Detroit, fourth in the Atlantic Division, holds the first wild-card spot with 66 points while Columbus, fourth in the Metropolitan Conference, also moved up to 66 points with the win Thursday and holds the second wild-card spot.
“The games are very meaningful,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said prior to Thursday’s loss. “Outdoor just adds a lot more drama to it, but on Sunday when we all wake up, the actual hockey part of it — the points and what comes out of it — will be the most important.”
Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Alex DeBrincat’s 27th goal of the season 27 seconds into the second period on Thursday but Columbus answered with four consecutive goals, including two by van Riemsdyk, later in the period. J.T. Compher cut the Columbus lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal but Kirill Marchenko sealed the win with an empty-netter with 57 seconds to go.
“We had a lot of chances in the first period and didn’t get anything,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “Instead of getting frustrated, we used that for momentum.”
Boone Jenner, who missed the first 56 games of the season with a shoulder injury, had three assists for the Blue Jackets and now has five assists in his first three games back.
Compher, who had his sixth multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist, starred for the University of Michigan before being drafted by Buffalo in the 2013 NHL Draft. He said he was looking forward to the rematch in Ohio Stadium.
“(Friday) is the day for fun — skating with the family, seeing the rink for the first time and enjoying it,” Compher said. “When we get to Saturday, it’s normal routine. We know what’s at stake and how important every point is, so when Saturday comes around it’ll be about executing our game plan to the best of our ability.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels activate OF/DH Jorge Soler from four-game suspension
Apr 7, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; A fight breaks out between Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels activated outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler from the suspended list on Sunday and put him in the cleanup spot of the lineup for the series finale against the San Diego Padres.
Soler was given an original seven-game suspension for an on-field fight with former Atlanta Braves teammate Reynaldo Lopez on April 7. Soler appealed the suspension, and it was reduced to four games, while the Angels were in New York last week.
Soler, 34, is batting .231 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 18 games for the Angels this season.
In 13 major league seasons, Soler is a career .240 hitter with 208 home runs and 568 RBIs over 1,112 games for the Chicago Cubs (2014-16), Kansas City Royals (2017-21), Atlanta Braves (2021, 2024), Miami Marlins (2022-23), San Francisco Giants (2024) and Angels.
Lopez had his own seven-game suspension reduced to five games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers aim to take 2-0 lead over rival Penguins
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers got the best of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1, but both teams understand that the Keystone State rivals are likely headed for a long series.
The Flyers aim to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Penguins when the teams match up Monday in Pittsburgh.
In Saturday’s series opener, Philadelphia posted a 3-2 victory behind third-period goals from Travis Sanheim and Porter Martone. Sanheim, one of the team’s veteran players, scored the go-ahead goal midway through the final session before Martone added an insurance tally with 2:37 remaining.
Martone’s goal proved to be critical as Bryan Rust scored with 1:01 to play. However, Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar stayed firm down the stretch as the Flyers held on.
“I think I understand the level that’s needed to play in the playoffs,” said Sanheim, who helped keep Sidney Crosby off the scoreboard. “I understand the challenge ahead and my job, playing against top guys.”
Crosby and Sanheim received penalties late in the third period – Crosby for slashing and Sanheim for cross-checking – that forced both key players off the ice for the final stretch.
“That’s going to be part of a series,” Crosby said. “I think we’ve got to stay out of it a little bit more and trust that when they do it and try to start it up, that they’re going to get penalized for it. But that’s more something I think they’re looking to do. We’ve got to stay out of it and trust they’ll be undisciplined.”
Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia, while Rasmus Ristolainen notched a pair of assists. The headline, though, was Martone with the game-winning goal in his postseason debut.
“Everyone’s been great,” said the 19-year-old Martone, the sixth pick in the 2025 draft. “I think we were all pretty excited going into this game, being able to play in the playoffs. For me, it’s my 10th NHL game. It’s pretty special, and it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up.”
Philadelphia is in the postseason for the first time since 2020, while Pittsburgh is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Penguins certainly don’t want to go down 2-0 in the series before heading across the state for Games 3 and 4.
“(The Flyers) make it hard,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I think that’s part of their game. They’ve been doing that for a while. … They can make it difficult. I think we got away from things that worked. Part of that is the intensity. Everything is ramped up here in the playoffs.”
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was a force in Game 1 with a goal and an assist. He has 68 goals and 114 assists in 178 career playoff games.
“We played good all year long,” Malkin said. “We know how we play and we just, like, maybe nervous too much or we want (it) too much. We just (weren’t) thinking a little bit, I think.”
The Flyers are expecting a crisper overall effort by the Penguins in Sunday’s affair.
“We did a good job, but we know they’re going to respond,” Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. “We know they’re going to come hard next game. We’ve got to keep respecting their skill and just be prepared.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Best College Basketball Transfer Portal Players Still Available
The college basketball portal window has lived up to expectations so far, as long as your expectations were pure chaos.
Approximately a third of all Division-I players — what was projected to be over 3,000 players — have entered the portal.
Louisville landed the top portal player, Kansas big Flory Bidunga, to anchor the elite class of transfers it is assembling.
But there is still plenty of talent available in the portal, which is set to close for entries early next week.
Here’s a look at the best players remaining in the portal:
Milan Momcilovic
Ranked by On3, 247Sports and ESPN as the best transfer still available, Momcilovic is coming off an exceptional shooting season at Iowa State.
In his third season with the Cyclones, the 6-foot-8 forward saw his shooting percentages jump up significantly, making 50.6% of his shots and a nation-leading 48.7% of his 3-pointers.
Mind you, that perimeter performance wasn’t in a small sample size. He finished the season with 136 made threes, ranking fifth nationally with 3.7 made shots outside the arc per game.
Momcilovic also entered his name in the NBA draft. But considering he’s not considered a first-round pick, it’s entirely possible he returns for his senior season at some school and immediately gives their offense a big shooting boost.
John Blackwell
Similar to Momcilovic, Blackwell has been a gradual bloomer in college basketball at Wisconsin.
He went from 8.0 points as a freshman to 15.8 as a sophomore and, most recently, 19.1 points per game this season for the Badgers. The 6-foot-4 guard also made his impact in a number of ways with 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game, making 43% of his shots and 38.9% of his 3-pointers.
With a finalist list of Alabama, Arizona, Duke, Louisville, Illinois and UCLA, that shows the caliber of teams in on Blackwell coming off his second straight strong season in Madison.
Juke Harris
Harris exploded onto the scene at Wake Forest this past season.
He jumped up from 6.1 points per game as a freshman to 21.4 as a sophomore, good for third-most in the ACC.
Harris was only a 33.2% perimeter shooter, but made 44.4% of his total shots, showing his ability as a slasher and jumpshooter. He also led the Demon Deacons in rebounds (6.5 per game) as a 6-foot-7 guard.
He’s reportedly receiving interest from a number of top teams in the portal, including defending champs Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Massamba Diop
Arizona State didn’t have a very good 2025-26 season, finishing 17-16 and seeing head coach Bobby Hurley fired after the season.
But one thing the Sun Devils did have going for them was an exceptional season from freshman big Massamba Diop, who unfortunately for them and new coach Randy Bennett entered the portal after the season.
The 7-foot-1 native of Senegal finished second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.8). He was also second in the Big 12 in blocks (2.1) behind Bidunga.
A 30.8% 3-point shooter in a small sample size (8 of 26) and a 56.9% shooter from the floor, Diop showed his well-rounded ability which could make him a star on a better team next season.
